Czeching out Brimley

BRIMLEY — Brimley whizzed by Rudyard 65-30 in an Eastern UP girls varsity basketball game on Monday evening at the Karl Parker Memorial Gym.

The stands were full of curious fans at the game, as well as Michigan State and Lake Superior State University scouts, to check out Brimley's Czech Republic exchange student Hana Vesela. Vesela led the Bays with 18 points.

"That's one of the great things about coaching in Brimley," coach Ray Bell said. "The community really gets behind the team. When we're winning and doing well, the excitement grows."

"I thought we played very well as a team," Bell explained. "We passed the ball and our defense was great. We held them to 30 points. Any time you can hold a quality team to 30 points, that's a good thing."

The Bays also outshined the Bulldogs with their rebounding.

"We had at least 18 more rebounds than Rudyard," Bell said. "We've learned to play together and as a team. There's really no jealousy."

Rudyard (2-1 EUP conference, 2-5 overall) set the tone of a physical game early on, with coach Barry Butler receiving a technical foul just minutes into the game — disputing a call made by the game's referees.

"This game will pay off for us in upcoming games, learning to be more physical," Butler explained. "We have to be physical right off the bat, when (the refs) are allowing it to be a physical game.

"It was hard for us to get our flow going, when it looked like a hockey rink out there."

Butler was proud of his team's effort though.

"We did good and I'm proud of my girls," he said, following the game. "We kept going and playing. The whole team worked hard and we didn't quit until the final buzzer."